Durham County Board of Commissioners Meeting - May 26, 2026: DPS Staff Urge Full Funding for School Raises

The Durham County Board of Commissioners hears emotional testimony from school workers, parents, and advocates urging living wages and full funding for Durham Public Schools classified staff, even if it means higher property taxes or delaying new sheriff’s vehicles. Residents connect low pay, morale, and student well‑being as the county faces a difficult budget year with limited revenue. 15mins

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Original Meeting

Tuesday, May 26th, 2026
10938.222993
Board of County Commissioners on 2026-05-26 5:30 PM - Regular Session
Full Meeting on Granicus
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Neighborhood news guy for Southpoint Access in Durham.
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In This Video
  • County leaders acknowledged a challenging budget year and emphasized the importance of community input, highlighting a resident survey and public comments to guide how limited revenues should be invested.
  • Vanessa Barnett Lauro, speaking for the People's Alliance Education Action team, supported the Durham Public Schools Board of Education’s funding request and urged commissioners to prioritize raising classified school staff pay despite difficult budget constraints.
  • A speaker from the PA Education Action Team urged commissioners to raise taxes if necessary to fund higher wages for Durham Public Schools classified staff, arguing that fair pay was essential for both the workers and their children’s success.
  • A Durham Public Schools classified employee described being blindsided by rescinded raises, the financial and physical hardship that followed, and still urged commissioners to fully fund the DPS budget to provide a living wage for school workers.
  • Carolyn Eubanks described severe financial hardship as a long-time Durham Public Schools classified staff member and, joined briefly by Miss Pettiford, called for a 12% raise and a $19.22 minimum hourly wage so school workers could earn a living wage and remain in the profession.
  • A Durham Public Schools instructional assistant described struggling to afford basic necessities despite qualifying for low-income housing, contrasted stagnant school wages with county raises and planned vehicle purchases, and urged commissioners to fund 12% raises so classified staff could support their families.
  • Retha Daniel-Ruth, a nearly 40-year Durham Public Schools employee, described having to work three jobs just to begin saving money and keep up with basic car and home repairs because DPS pay remained too low to make ends meet.
  • Mika Twietmeyer, speaking as president of the Durham Association of Educators, urged commissioners to prioritize living wages and significant raises for Durham Public Schools classified staff, even if it meant delaying new sheriff’s vehicles or raising property taxes.
  • A school treasurer described being overworked, underpaid, and responsible for far more than financial duties, warning that school operations depended on staff who were emotionally exhausted and sacrificing personal time to keep things running.
  • Anna Benfield, a Durham Public Schools parent and occupational therapist, shared stories of low-paid school workers—including an 83-year-old bus driver who never managed to retire—and urged commissioners to raise taxes if needed to fully fund the DPS budget so frontline staff could earn enough to support their families.
  • Durham Public Schools teacher Beth Clifford described how the classified staff budget crisis damaged morale, highlighted the crucial relationships and extra burdens carried by front office, custodial, and instructional support staff amid vacancies, and urged commissioners to provide full funding so as not to undermine workers who had organized for stronger financial transparency and protections.
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